This, That and a Third Thing

Last week in our blog we wrote about our "Poor Training" out in Mandeville.  So I'll begin with that point in time on last Saturday.  After our training we visited our community "Water Catchment Project" in Brokenhurst.  This project was discussed in our blog of Jun 20, Pushing The Envelope.  The community members completed the concrete pour and so we went to see how it looked.  When we arrive there were about 10 or so men who were helping to remove the forms and supports.  They (and we) were all very pleased with the way the project had turned-out.  They had worked very hard to erect the forms and remove them in the amount of time that had been allotted for the form rental.

The last of the rented plywood forms to be  removed



Brokenhurst Community Center / Hurricane Shelter / Water Collection system



We then drove back to Kingston for a YSA Dinner/Dance and etiquette activity where we had been asked to speak on dating!  As a 60 yr old, white, American, who had been married for 36 years, I wasn't sure I could relate to 18+ yr old, black, Jamaicans who are looking for dating advice.  But, yes, we had a good time and I think the principles we presented are still valid in today's world, (all dates still should be chaperoned, right?).  We will confess that we lined up one of the couples for the dinner.   He was from our branch and she was from Yallis and they seemed to have a good time and are going on a second date. We'll see if our humanitarian dating efforts work out.

 The picture below represents an occasional discussion between a certain senior couple (who shall remain nameless, but it is a long name)

And the proud stance he takes when she occasionally lets him win.

  



 We spent one day working out the details with the installation company and the 4H representatives on completion of the Shade House project.  They seemed a little surprised that I understood, pumps, piping, drip irrigation and tank elevation and that I was the one making the suggestions and assigning responsibilities (read blame).  I think this project will actually get finished within the next few weeks.

 Below is a couple of men whom we have seen begging in the street near the mission home.  Call us calloused but we wonder if they trade-off who sits and who pushes.

We spent one afternoon with President Smith of the Spanish Town 1st branch looking at 5 acres of property he is proposing to lease and divide up into half acre plots for some of the Food Initiative projects in his branch.  We'll need to have some heavy equipment do the removal of the brush and initial plowing.  Sister Schaefermeyer only required a couple of Benadryl tablets to stop the itching on her legs from the myriad of bites.

While we were in Spanish Town the Herberts asked us to come and set-up a wheelchair for a lady in the branch.  She had already been evaluated and trained on use so we only had to adjust the chair for her.  She had a wheelchair but it was too wide to fit through the doors of her house and so it was essentially useless for her.  She now has a great deal of freedom and will probably be able to attend church more regularly.  She was a great lady and fun to work with.  She was so tall that I had trouble adequately extending the foot rests.  She must have towered over her husband (at back) when she stood.

Saturday found us doing two separate service projects with members of the Constant Springs and Boulevard Branches.  Shanna went with Elder and Sister Flake and painted lines on a parking lot at Maxfield Park Health center and I helped clean debris off a new garden spot at the salvation Army School for the Blind. 

The Jamaican version of raising the flag over Iwo Jima.



We had 13 priesthood members along with four elders and the farmer.



Lessons of "Why I need to go to college" were taught as they dug a drainage ditch for the run-off.

Some people "raise cane" - others chop it with a machette

Today, Sunday, we attended the Kingston Branch Council meeting.  We were both very pleased with the way the meeting was conducted and how it followed the guidelines that were in the handbook and had been taught in the world wide training.  Following the block we had our first ward choir rehearsal that I conducted.  We now have a choir but no accompanist.  I programmed the songs in my computer so it would play the parts I wanted to work on which seemed to work fairly well.  I had a keyboard so that I could play individual parts.  We had 4 tenors, 6 bases, 4 sopranos and no altos, and despite what streotypes you have heard, all black people are not gifted singers.  

The afternoon was spent feeding Elder Luke and Elder Colucci and the mission president.  Sister Hendricks was flying between Jamaica and Miami to help their daughter and her two children return home after visiting the grandparents in Jamaica.  The rest of the evening we enjoyed speaking with family and friends and watching Ali Jo sleep in her mother's arms, until we remembered our accounting of credit card receipts had to be completed before midnight.  We just made it and now will retire and start again tomorrow.